The present invention relates to an electronic gaming device, and more particularly to an electronic gaming device having a deck-mounted touchscreen.
A number of different devices are currently in use within the gaming industry. These devices allow players an opportunity to win money by placing a certain amount of money at risk. The gaming machines typically pay back to the players an overall percentage of the money deposited therein. In general, the owner of the gaming machine desires the machines to be both attractive to, and comfortable for, the players.
Some prior art gaming machines have electronic display screens that display information to the players about the game being played, such as for example a poker hand. In the typical prior art machine, this display screen is oriented in either a vertical orientation or a horizontal orientation. For example, a display screen in a horizontal orientation could be found recessed into a bar, so that a player may play the game while sitting at a bar. However, the vertically or horizontally oriented display screens are disadvantageous due to the glare from overhead lights, and it has been found that they are not be as comfortable in use as is desired.
Many of these gaming machines are also equipped with and electronic touchscreen. The touchscreen allows the player to choose a displayed option or function by simply touching the area of the touchscreen corresponding to the desired option or function. The touchscreen is capable of detecting the position of a user's finger on or adjacent the touchscreen and then transmitting that information to a central processing unit of an onboard computer. A number of different types of touchscreens are currently available. These touchscreens include, for example, capacitive touchscreens, surface acoustic wave touchscreens and guided acoustic wave touchscreens. All of these touchscreens are capable of determining the presence of a player's touch, translating this touch into a machine readable electrical signal and transmitting that signal to the central processing unit of a computer. The computer will then compare the signal received against the position of data or graphical prompts appearing on the display screen. If the coordinates match the location of any given prompt, the processor will then trigger the chosen function. In general, touchscreens are desirable because they allow the player to directly interact with the machine simply by pressing the touchscreen.
In prior art machines, the touchscreen is mounted directly on the display device. Typically the surface of the display device is curved, and so the touchscreen itself is curved in an attempt to match the curve of the display device. In these prior art devices, the touchscreen is supported by and is connected to the surface of the display device. A deck is then placed over the display device and the touchscreen. The deck has an opening therein that allows the touchscreen to be viewed and accessed by the player. A bezel or front facing is then fitted over the deck. The prior art bezel is sealed to the deck about the perimeter of the opening therein. Further, the prior art bezel extends to the surface of the touchscreen and is releasably sealed thereto.
In the gaming machines described above, there is a need to access the interior of the machines on a daily basis. Access to the interior may be necessary to perform maintenance, clear that may occur, and to fill the coin or token hoppers in the interior of the machines. For this purpose, the deck of the machine is hingedly connected to the cabinet of the machine. When the deck is pivoted upwardly to access the interior of the machine, the seal between the bezel and the touchscreen is broken. Therefore, the bezel and the seal are pivoted upwardly with the deck, and the touchscreen and display device remain within the machine.
This arrangement presents a problem in machines with a display device and touchscreen that are not oriented vertically. In machines with non-vertical display devices and touchscreens, the seal between the bezel and the touchscreen is important in that it protects the interior of the machine from damage caused by liquids, such as drinks, which may be spilled onto the surface of the machine. However, in prior art machines, this seal is broken each time the deck is pivoted upwardly. This breaking of the seal makes it difficult to ensure that the bezel is properly sealed to the touchscreen when the deck is returned to a closed position. Moreover, because the touchscreen is mounted to the display device in these prior art machines, the touchscreen itself is curved to match the curvature of the display device. The curvature of the touchscreen surface increases the difficulty of ensuring a seal between the bezel and the touchscreen when the deck is returned to a closed position.
The above-described prior art construction not only presents sealing problems, but also contributes to increase maintenance costs. These increased maintenance costs are caused by the fact that the touchscreen is mounted directly to the display device. If there is a problem or failure of either the touchscreen or the display device, the entire assembly must be replaced. This can increase costs if only one of the two components is the cause of the problem or failure, because a component that is otherwise operable must be replaced merely because it is mounted to another component that has failed or is in need of off-site maintenance.
In the prior art devices, the mounting methods for the touchscreen currently employed can cause problems for the functioning of the touchscreen. The rigid mounting of the touchscreen can lead to uneven pressures being placed on various regions of the touchscreen. This pressure differential can lead to certain areas of the touchscreen malfunctioning, or failing to function.
The above-described prior art gaming machines are typically equipped with an arm rest that will act as a support for the player. These arm rests are used to enhance the comfort of the player and typically extend from one side of the machine to the other. The prior art arm rests are located and constructed to extend straight across the front of the machine. The prior art arm rests do not, therefore, offer the player any form of guided support, which would act to aide in positioning the player laterally along the front of the machine. Further, these prior art arm rests do not offer any support for the player along the side of the player, which may be desirable to increase the comfort of the player.
Therefore, an electronic gaming device is needed that overcomes the above drawbacks and deficiencies of the above-described prior art gaming devices.